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  • 2027: It’s unjust Ogun West hasn’t produced governor – Sen. Adeola

    2027: It’s unjust Ogun West hasn’t produced governor – Sen. Adeola

    Senator representing Ogun West Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Sen.Solomon Adeola (Yayi), says it is unjust that the district has not produced a governor since the creation of the state in 1976.

    Adeola, Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation ,made the statement on Saturday in Lagos.

    He spoke at the Yewaland Development Forum(YDF) 8th Distinguished Lecture Series, “Yewas Talk” and his Investiture as the Grand Patron of the Forum.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the lecture titled “Yewaland: Harnessing Our Potential and Opportunities Towards 2027 and Beyond”was held at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja.

    “It is no longer news that our area has suffered in the scheme of things since the creation of Ogun State on Feb.3, 1976.

    “In the over 48 years history of Ogun State, no one from our senatorial district has been opportune to lead the state as the number one citizen.

    “This unjust and unequitable anomaly is not as a result of not presenting ourselves for service or indeed a result of lack of eminently qualified persons,” Adeola said.

    He said that all hands must be on deck to liberate the people of Yewaland politically and empower them.economically.

    “Towards 2027, a leading and knowledge-based organisation as YDF must dispassionately look at all the factors that should engender success for Ogun West senatorial district in the governorship race.

    “I have no doubt that the wherewithal to achieve the just aspiration of our people is available but we must consciously and painstakingly put our best foot forward this time around.

    “Going forward, I don’t expect anyone from Yewaland to be a bystander in the ongoing struggle for political power in Ogun State,” he said.

    According to him, with the array of eminent sons and daughters of Yewaland that populate the YDF, he is further convinced that Yewaland has all it takes to aspire and possibly win any high office in Nigeria and beyond.

    Commending the YDF for counting him worthy of investituture as Grand Patron, the lawmaker pledged to always support and participate in the forum’s development initiatives for Yewaland.

    “I suspect that the major considerations for this honour may be in recognition of my contributions to the development of Yewaland in both human and infrastructure aspects as well as contribution to Ogun State and national development over the years.

    “For over a decade before now, I have made it one of my passion to strive towards the liberation of my people in Yewaland from the shackles of total neglect and underdevelopment that is traceable to unjust marginalisation from political power at state and Federal Government levels.

    “My approach was to use personal resources and facilitations from government at the federal level to begin to address the rampant indices of underdevelopment in all sectors in Yewaland.

    “In this wise, educational and health infrastructure, markets and roads have been constructed as well as provision of water and light to begin to address our development challenges which organisations like YDF are addressing in their own capacity.

    “Equally, thousands of Yewa indigenes have benefitted directly from different types of empowerment and skills acquisition trainings,” he added.

    Adeola said that since he became the representative of the area at the Senate,he had worked very hard to impact lives.

    “God willing, my promise of making Ogun West a Small London before the end of my tenure is well on course,” he said.

    While acknowledging contributions of his predecessors and other political office holders to the vdevelopment of Ogun West, Adeola promised to accomplish more for the benefit of the people.

    Dr Iziaq Salako, the Guest Speaker and Minister of State for the Environment ,said there was the need for strong synergy and alliance among stakeholders for Yewa to produce next Ogun governor.

    “When we truly synergise we can all progress. 2027 is the year for Ogun West to reset and to be set free.

    “Division and confusion can end our agenda. If we work together, there is nothing we really cannot achieve,” Salako said.

    On why 2027 was significant, Salako said that by then, Ogun would have crossed the golden age of 50 by a year and the phrase ‘Yewa people’ would be approaching 40 years .

    Salako said that Yewaland arguably remained the largest land area and most populous sub-ethnic group in Ogun,making the area the reason the state is called the Gateway State.

    He said Yewaland remained the agricultural backbone of the state and that it should begin to use its strengths to achieve poilitical opportunities in the state.

    “The average Ogun person wants the next governor of Ogun State to be a Yewa man. The average Yewa man is politically conscious,” he added.

    Calling on stakeholders to work together, Salako said there was the need to sit down and work hard, adding “It is the hard work and collaboration that will speak for Yewa in 2027”.

    He urged the sub-ethnic group to deploy social intelligence through alliances within and without, exploring blood linkages to achieve the political goals of Yewa in 2027.

    Salako called on leaders to begin to build social systems and organise the people towards achieving the Yewa Project in 2027.

    He said that the sub ethnic group had not been strategic in some of the past elections.

    “Elections cannot be won on tbe basis of sentiments and bravado alone,” he said.

    The event was attended by various leaders in Yewaland including royal fathers, former and present commissioners, lawmakers, political leaders, academics , community leaders, market leaders, youth groups, among others.

  • Scholarship: Senator Adeola Yasi gives N200m cheques to 1600 beneficiaries

    Scholarship: Senator Adeola Yasi gives N200m cheques to 1600 beneficiaries

    The Chairman, Senate Appropriation Committee and Senator representing Ogun West at the National Assembly, Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, on Saturday, began his scholarship and bursary scheme by empowering 1,600 students across the five local governments in the senatorial district.

    The education support scheme tagged: 1st Yayi Scholarship/Bursary Award Programme, held in Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State, saw selected indigent students in 53 tertiary institutions benefiting from the financial support.

    Speaking at the event, Senator Adeola said the scheme was in fulfillment of his electoral promises to the people and youths of Ogun West.

    He explained that the programme which was basically meant to come to the rescue of brilliant students facing some financial challenges in the course of their studies, was facilitated in conjunction with the Teacher’s Registration Council of Nigeria and the Computer Professional Registration Council of Nigeria.

    The senator added the scheme was equally in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

    According to him, the scholarship and bursary awards apart from being designed to assist parents, it is also to complement the laudable educational initiatives of the Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, particularly in the area of provision of educational infrastructure across the three senatorial districts of the state.

    “For the effective implementation of this programme, I constituted a team of top educationists, academicians, and selected stakeholders led by Professor Tope Popoola to organize the modalities for the success of the programme. I am glad they have not disappointed in their professional handling of the educational support fund for our youths that I now refer to as “Yayi Scholars”.

    “Today a total number of 532 students spread across universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in different parts of the nation are to be awarded scholarships to the tune of N200,000 for university scholars; N180,000 for polytechnics and N150, 000 for Colleges of Education upon successful verification of their academic records in line with the set out criteria and guidelines. I have also included a Bursary Award of N100,000 for 1,000 students of the senatorial district distributed to all the 5 local governments at 200 per local government”, Senator Adeola stated.

    He, however, urged the beneficiaries not to spend the funds provided on frivolities, but for the payment of their school fees and not free money to buy phones, bags, and clothes.

    “The whole idea was to assist your parents and to ensure that no brilliant student of Ogun West extraction drops out of school as a result of non-payment of school fees. I believe strongly that with this token, there will be some succour tin alleviatingthe problems that could arise as a result of a recent increase in school fees across the nation.

    “My motivation for this financial empowerment for the education sector is based on a vision that acknowledges the liberating role of good education in any kind of development”, he said.

    Senator Adeola promised to continue both the educational support fund for “Yayi Scholars” as well as expand education infrastructures in the Ogun West Senatorial district, submitting “I will also continue to support all legislative initiatives for the good education of our students as well as the provision of requisite education funding for our educational institutions”.

  • Senator Adeola Yayi hails Gov Abiodun’s final victory

    Senator Adeola Yayi hails Gov Abiodun’s final victory

    Senator Solomon Adeola( APC, Ogun West), the chairman of Senate Committee on Appropriations has congratulated Prince Dapo Abiodun on his latest and final electoral victory at the Supreme Court.

    The Supreme Court sitting Abuja validated the 2023 election of Prince Abiodun following similar victories at the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and the Apeal Court.

    Senator Adeola in a statement in Abuja stated that the final victory of the Governor once again validated the overwhelming support of majority of the people of Ogun State for his second term based on his demonstrable and visible performance in office during his first tenure.

    The chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations while commending the Supreme Court Justices for their erudite decision in not upturning the democratic wish of the people, however decried the penchant of some politicians inclined to use the judicial system to truncate the democratic will of the people.

    “We are overjoyed at this victory yet again against an unrepentant opposition unwilling to accept democratic rejection by the people. The coast is now clear for the governor to continue his steady development strides for the people of Ogun State” he stated.

    Senator Adeola promised to continue his unwavering support for the governor and his people oriented projects adding that he will continue to play a complementary role in ensuring that Ogun state enjoy the full benefits of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

    Signed:

    Chief Kayode Odunaro
    Media Adviser to Senator Adeola
    19th January, 2024.

  • Police arrest 3 suspects over alleged killing of Senator Adeola’s aide

    Police arrest 3 suspects over alleged killing of Senator Adeola’s aide

    The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Mr Idowu Owohunwa, on Monday announced the arrest of three suspects, who allegedly robbed and killed Mr Sanni Adeniyi, an Aide to Senator Solomon Yayi.

    Owohunwa told newsmen at the command’s headquarters, Ikeja , that the suspects were arrested in Lagos and Oyo States respectively.

    Recall that on Aug. 5,  the lawmaker representing Ogun West, Sen. Solomon Yayi, in a statement by his media aide, Mr Kayode Odunaro, alleged that some soldiers killed his aide, Sanni Adeniyi Sanni.

    The police boss in Lagos, however, said that the suspects were not members of the Nigerian Army, stressing that they were armed robbers, who had served various jail terms before and were connected together while at the Correctional Centres in Lagos and Ibadan.

    “We present to you today three suspects behind the killing of Mr Sanni Adeniyi, which occurred between 1.00 a.m. and 2.00 a.m. on Aug. 5.

    “The arrest of the suspects, one Fred Okunnu, aged 43, Lucky Micheal, aged 33 and Adedigba Segun, aged 26, follows weeks of painstaking, diligent and discreet intelligence and investigative sets of actions.

    “Items recovered from the suspects are one Brownie pistol with three rounds of live ammunition, one Beretta pistol with three rounds of live ammunition one locally made cut-to-size pistol with six live cartridges and six expended cartridges,” he said.

    The commissioner said they also recovered military gear (military camouflage vest, military jungle hat, military holster, jungle boots), and one Red Honda CRV, with Reg. No. EKY 276 JD allegedly hijacked from a yet to be identified victim.

    Owohunwa noted that Investigation has revealed that the gang was being armed by one Alhaji (based in Benin Republic), who specializes in robbing motorists of their unregistered vehicles.

    He said that the gang have been successful in five previous operations, stressing that their modus operandi includes stationing one gang member some meters from Berger bus stop, a boundary between Lagos State and Ogun, to spot unregistered vehicles.

    According to the CP, the spotter then calls his gang members, who are dressed in military attire and stationed somewhere around Berger bus stop, to inform them of the approaching vehicle.

    “Once they stop their victim, they request for the vehicle custom papers, as they would need to clear security and customs checks. In this incident, after seeing the papers, they insisted on taking their victim to their base.

    “Once they entered the vehicle, it dawned on Mr Sanni Adeniyi that they were robbers. He called out for help, which made the robbers shoot him thrice and further stabbed him.

    “They dropped his corpse by the roadside and drove to Kuto, Abeokuta, where they cleaned up the blood stains in the rear seats of the vehicle and later same night proceeded with the vehicle to the border town of Chikanda in Kwara State,  where the criminal receiver, one Alhaji took delivery of the car,” he explained.

    Owohunwa further said that the suspects adopted the use of military attire to beat security checkpoints.

    The police boss pointed out that further investigations revealed that the said Alhaji has other cells operating across the country, stressing that as transnational crime, the command was involving the Interpol for the apprehension of this criminal receiver and financier.

  • Tribunal affirms Solomon Adeola as Ogun West Senator

    Tribunal affirms Solomon Adeola as Ogun West Senator

    The National and State Assemblies Elections Petition Tribunal, sitting in Abeokuta on Thursday affirmed the victory of Sen. Solomon Adeola as the duly elected Senator for Ogun West Senatorial District in Feb. 25 National Assembly election.

    Delivering its judgement in a Petition marked EPT/OG/Sen/2023 and filed by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Senatorial Candidate, Dada Adeleke, Justice Kabir Gabo-led three-man panel dismissed Adeleke’s petition for ‘lacking in merit.

    The panel also held that two witnesses called by the petitioner failed to give valid evidence to substantiate the allegations of the election not meeting electoral act and constitutional requirements as well as manual voting procedure.

    According to the panel, the prayer of the petitioner that the victory of Adeola be declared null, void and of no consequence, could not stand or be granted due to its unmeritorious nature.

    Adeola polled 112,887 votes to defeat Adeleke, who scored 60,189 in the Feb. 25 National Assembly election.

    Reacting, Adeola’s counsel, Deji Eniseyin described the verdict as victory for democracy and a confirmation of the position of the law on the matter.

    But, Festus Ogun, one of the counsel representing the petitioner, said they would review the judgement and advise their client, accordingly.

    “We will review the judgement and advise our client on the next course of action,” he said.

  • Obasanjo, Jonathan, Yar’Adua responsible for Nigeria’s huge debt – Sen. Adeola

    Obasanjo, Jonathan, Yar’Adua responsible for Nigeria’s huge debt – Sen. Adeola

    Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance on Wednesday blamed former Nigerian leaders for the country’s high debt profile.

    According to him, the debt accumulated between 1999 and 2015 which had Obasanjo, Yar’Adua and Jonathan as leaders.

    The lawmaker disclosed this on Wednesday during consideration of the 2022-2024 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper.

    In a statement issued by the spokesman of the Senate President, Ezrel Tabiowo, Adeola disclosed this when asked by Lawan to make clarifications on concerns raised by lawmakers over Nigeria’s debt profile.

    This was during deliberation on the report of the Joint Committees on Finance; Local and Foreign Debts; Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions; Petroleum Resources (Upstream); Downstream Petroleum Sector and Gas on the 2022-2024 Medium Term Framework.

    “A huge part of Nigeria’s total debt profile roughly estimated at N33trillion naira were incurred by past administrations dating back to the military era.”

    He said a couple of loans being replayed by the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration were ones accumulated from the times of the military to those of the PDP administration under Ex-Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan, between 1999 and 2015.

    “The borrowing you are saying is accumulated borrowing. It is not a borrowing of this administration alone, it is a borrowing that stems from the days of the military to the days when the democratic dispensation started.

    “It is an accumulated loan, it is not a loan that says that it is the current administration of President Buhari that has borrowed.

    “It is a loan that has been borrowed by the previous administration – the Obasanjo, the Jonathan, the Yar’Adua of this world.

    “[And] since the business of government is a continuum, the President of the day has no choice but to continue to pay back all these loans that have been borrowed by the previous administrations.

    “More than three-quarters of these loans you’re seeing were borrowed from the previous administrations, and we are paying back – we are doing what is supposed to be done, the way it is supposed to be done.

    “So, when my colleague said that for every sixty-seven naira of any loan that was borrowed, we are using to pay, he should know that more than sixty naira of it are loans borrowed by the previous administration. And that is where we are.”

  • $30bn loan key for Nigeria’s development – Sen. Adeola

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Sen Olamilekan Adeola on Thursday said the plan by the Federal Government to borrow about 30 billion dollars was a necessary step to catalyse development.

    Adeola made the statement in Lagos while speaking with newsmen at the End-of the-Year-Party he organised for residents of his Lagos West Senatorial constituency.

    He said concerns raised in some quarters about the loan were not necessary, as the facility was needed to promote the economy.

    Adeola said that the loan was necessary to fund many ambitious on-going projects across the country, which would impact greatly on the economy and lives of Nigerians when completed.

    ”’The 30 billion dollar loan the Federal Government is sourcing for is not one of those frivolous loans; this is a loan that is tied to projects.

    ”This loan is needed to fund landmark and ambitious projects such as the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the East West Road, the Second Niger Bridge, among others.

    ”We need a large chunk of money to get all these projects completed . So, it is only if government access this loan that we can give all these great projects the right direction.

    ”Again, the government needs this loan to execute those projects that would impact and transform the economy and put the country on the path of progress. So, the loan is necessary,” he said.

    The senator said the country was faced with serious infrastructural deficit that would be substantially reduced with government accessing the loan.

    He said the 9th National Assembly was working in tandem with the executive to deliver on all on-going projects across the country .

    Adeola said the country’s economy was on the course of progress and it would even get better with the policies of the executive and the interventions of the National Assembly.

    He said the return of the budget cycle to January to December would significantly promote the development of the country.

    ”The economy is moving in the right direction; the economy is blossoming.

    ”We in the ninth assembly just succeeded in returning the budget cycle to January to December, and with this, we have ensured all that needs to be done in a calendar year can be achieved.

    ”There is no more haphazard budget implementation; we now have a full year budget implementation which runs from January to December,” he said.

    He said the National Assembly had amended the Public Procurement Act to increase the mobilisation for contracts from 15 per cent to 30 per cent.

    Adeola explained that the aim of the amendment was to ensure that contractors were well mobilised to address the problem of abandoned projects .

    The Senator said that the Finance Bill, recently passed into law, was to address all the issues with taxation with a view to promoting development.

    He said the Senate Committee, headed by him, would continue to discharge its duties in line with the progress of the country.

    Adeola said the belief in some quarters that the 9th National Assembly was a rubber stamp to the executive was unfair.

    He said the legislature would always act independently of the executive.

    Adeola said that the legislature was collaborating with the executive for progress and it should not be misinterpreted that the National Assembly was a rubber stamp.

  • 16 years of PDP a waste — Sen. Adeola

    Sen. Olamilekan Adeola (Lagos West) on Saturday urged Nigerians to reject the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2019, saying the party has nothing to offer the country.

    Speaking with journalists at the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat in Ikeja, Adeola said the PDP lacked the vision to govern the country.

    He noted that the 16 years of PDP in power was a waste as they did little or nothing to improve the lots of Nigerians.

    Adeola said the All Progressives Congress (APC) had put the country on the path of progress in the last few years, and would achieve much more in 2019.

    “Nigerians should reject the PDP in 2019; they have nothing to offer. They were in power for 16years and they achieved nothing.

    “in fact the three years of the APC administration are better than the years of PDP in power. It was 16 wasted years. PDP is a failure, they should be rejected,” he said.

    The senator said one particular step that pointed to what he called the ineptitude of the PDP was the way they privatised the power sector.

    Adeola alleged that the PDP sold power assets to friends and fronts all in the name of privatisation.

    He said the hangover of the problem was still with the country till date.

    The senator said electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) foisted on the country had done little to add value to the power sector, and Nigeria would be better with replacements.

    Adeola said he had acquitted himself remarkably well as senator representing Lagos West.

    He said his emergence in the primaries of APC to represent the zone again in 2019 reflected the confidence party men and the people had in him.

    Adeola said he had organised many empowerment programmes and executed many projects that had touched the lives of residents.

    He listed some of the programmes as the distribution of 500 UTME forms to school leavers, granting University scholarships to 56 students, and the facilitation of entrepreneurship training for 600 youths.

    Adeola said he had also facilitated tens of employments for graduates and other young people in the Federal civil service.

    “In the area of infrastructure development of our district in assisting and complementing the efforts of Lagos State and Federal Government, I donated 10 500 KVA transformers to a community in each of the 10 LGAs that make up Lagos West,” he said.

    AdeoIa said he also facilitated the rehabilitation of Baale Olodi Apapa Road(Boundary-Berger-Suya-Kirikiri Bridge) and had sunk 28 boreholes spread across 28 Local Council Development Areas of the district.

    “I also donated several 18-seater Toyota buses to Lagos West stakeholders including Obas, the Council of Baales, CDC, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), LASU student Union, the league of Imams, among others,” he said.

    Adeola said he was one of the active voices in the Senate, having sponsored so many important bills and contributed to the passage of others.

    The senator promised to achieve much more in the upper chamber in 2019, if reelected, urging his constituents to give him the needed support.

  • 2019: Ogun governorship aspirant abandons ambition, declares for second term in Senate

    A governorship aspirant in Ogun State on the platform of All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (aka Yayi) has abandoned his governorship ambition to pursue a second term in the Nigerian Senate.

    Recall that Adeola currently represents Lagos West on the floor of the Senate.

    He had earlier launched a campaign to contest the Ogun State governorship seat but have now jettisoned the idea to for a come back to the Senate.

    Speaking on why he wanted a comeback to thSenatete at a formal declaration event in Lagos over the weekend, Adeola said: “With 15 bills sponsorship, 12 of which are constitutional amendment bills with two of them passed by the National Assembly as part of the 23 passed Constitutional Amendment bills of the 8th National Assembly, I am one of the senators with the highest bills sponsorship. I have moved at least three motions that had led to investigation following Senate Resolutions. And in the area of empowerment, I have done two major empowerment programmes with another one coming up in September.”

    The Senator said that he has consistently remained a loyal party member that always folled the directives of party leaders in all his activities including his consultation in Ogun State for Governorship adding that he is back to re-contest for the position of a Senator on the directive of the party and his performance in office.

    He was later endorsed for a second term ticket by party leaders present.

    The motion for his endorsement was moved by Hon. Hotoyon Joseph Bamgbose(APC, Badagry) and supported by Mr. Bolaji Ariyo, the Chairman of 28 Secretaries to Local Government(SLG) and the motion was unanimously carried after speeches in support of the motion by Chief Mrs. Kemi Nelson, South West Woman Leader of APC who said that Senator Adeola has done well for women in Lagos state as he was instrumental to his success as women leader for 15 years in Lagos State.

    Other leaders who supported the endorsement are Chief Henry Ajomale, former State Chairman of APC in Lagos, Senator Ganiyu Solomon,(GOS), Chief Sunny Ajose, Deputy Chairman , APC Lagos State, Chief Funsho Ologunde, Lagos West APC SenatorialChairman, Dr. Wale Ahmed, APC State Secretary, Dr. Abayomi Finnih, Cardinal James Odumbakun, former Deputy Chairman APC Lagos State and all 28 LGA/LCDAs chairmen of APC in Lagos State.